The Fruits of Conyers

The messages from Jesus and Mary at Conyers played an important role in producing fruits in the life of the Conyers visionary’s spiritual “sister”, Catalina Rivas. The testimony and sacrifices of the Conyers visionary during her trips to Bolivia beginning in early 1993, assisted Catalina in her conversion back to a deeper walk in the Catholic faith which preceded the beginning of her receipt of beautiful and profound teachings from Jesus and Mary. These teachings can be view in a sense as a fruit of Conyers. They are also a more in-depth exposition of the messages of Conyers.

The extensive teachings given to Catalina further expanded upon the themes of the Conyers messages. As it turned out, she was part of the master plan that Jesus had for Conyers since He was soon to call the Conyers visionary to a more private, contemplative life. And in October 1995, before the Anniversary message from Our Loving Mother, Jesus told the visionary she would be returning to more solitary prayer and her life will be taking a new direction.

After the final apparition of Our Loving Mother on October 13, 1998, the visionary of Conyers wanted to withdraw from the public eye even more and retreat to seclusion as she felt her work was done. She later asked that Our Loving Mother’s Children, Inc. (OLMC) not publish any more of her messages and not to promote or use her name.

In January 2012, the Conyers visionary died leaving those instructions intact. Therefore, Our Loving Mother’s Children will continue to honor her request unless her heirs direct otherwise.

But it was the providence of God that the Conyers visionary prayed for a spiritual “sister”. While Catalina knew nothing of this prayer request, but some months later in September 1993, the Blessed Mother and soon afterward, Jesus began to speak to her, calling her to also bear witness, that is: to evangelize. Catalina responded to Their call.

In 1999, as he did as an OLMC volunteer with the Conyers messages, Jack Sweeney began to independently publish the teachings dictated to Catalina in English and Spanish. This included coordinating the initial translations of what would eventually be 17 books into English given to Catalina in her native language of Spanish. And while the books of Conyers messages are no longer available, teachings on the same themes as the Conyers teachings and messages are available in the books that Jesus and His Mother dictated to Catalina.

In 2004 OLMC made application and registered in the State of Georgia to conduct business under a trade name of Love and Mercy Publications (L&M) on July 16, 2004 and began to publish the first of the seventeen books, called Live the Holy Mass. Over 550,000 of these Holy Mass books have been printed so far. Shortly thereafter, L&M began distributing all the books of Catalina in English and Spanish plus additional books and DVDs with a particular focus on the Holy Eucharist and other signs from God including Eucharistic miracles.

Since its creation, L&M has distributed over one million books and DVD’s with the messages and teachings from Jesus and Mary through Catalina Rivas. The books are available to read and/or print from our web site for free in both English and Spanish. This allows the Holy Spirit to inspire people from all over the world to read these teachings through the internet. OLMC has no idea of how many pages and books have been printed from the PDF files on our website. However, OLMC has received orders and shipped books & DVD’s all over the world for almost the last fifteen years.

OLMC invites you to join Jesus and Mary in this ministry supporting the Apostolate of the New Evangelization (ANE) and be an Apostle by reading and sharing the books and DVD’s with others, starting with your family and friends. When you visit our web site, please check the “Quantity Pricing” tab for special pricing on certain books and DVD’s. In addition, for a limited time, L&M will offer a 10% discount on all purchases from our web site including the quantity pricing. To receive this special discount, please enter on the check out page the promo code: LM10.

Please visit Our Loving Mother’s Children publishing arm – Love and Mercy Publications at: www.loveandmercy.org.

Circa 1992, Dr. Ricardo Castanon made a visit to the Conyers apparition site to observe the visionary. Dr. Castanon is a professor of Neuropsychophysiology at the Catholic University of Bolivia, formerly a professor in different State Universities in Italy and Germany and author of many books and scientific articles on the brain, stress and the nervous system. After meeting the visionary and spending some time in Conyers, he invited her to Bolivia for several talks, although his real reason at the time was to be able to study the visionary close up and do some testing at his office. The results of Dr. Castañón’s initial testing in Bolivia prompted him to organize a more comprehensive testing of the Conyers visionary in the United States in mid-1993. Dr. Castanon had been an outspoken atheist but after examining the Conyers visionary and some baffling cases he was now less strident, although not entirely converted either. Around the world people were claiming to have supernatural experiences and Dr. Castanon began to challenge some of these claims separating truth from fiction. In challenging these claims of apparitions and revelations, he sought to use the best that science, medicine, and psychiatry had to offer. The Catholic Church came to know of Dr. Castañon’s work, and has called on him to conduct investigations on its behalf.

Ron Tesoriero, a lawyer from Australia, heard about the apparitions in Conyers and in 1992 he became interested in examining claimed mystical phenomena in the Catholic Church through the eyes of science and met Dr. Ricardo Castanon who had a similar interest. Ron then began filming and making documentaries on the research work of Dr. Castanon.

Those documentaries became the inspiration for the prime time television two hour special, ‘Signs from God, Science Tests Faith’ that was produced by senior Australian Journalist, Mike Willesee, and broadcast in 1999 worldwide to over 20 million people by the Fox Television Network. What was shown had never been seen on television before. It was unequivocally remarkable.

Mike Willesee was a friend and neighbor of Ron and is one of Australia’s most respected television journalists, and famous household name. With a career spanning more than thirty years he gained a reputation as a hard-hitting news reporter. Renowned for his relentless energy he researched, produced, wrote, interviewed and faced audiences on camera. He never backed down. He went after anyone anywhere to get at the truth and was known for being, in the words of Channel 7, “a good man to have on your side”. Every night his face was beamed across the nation as the creator, anchor and producer of an investigative program called, “A Current Affair”. When he spoke people listened. And more than that, they trusted him.

Some of the investigative work done by Dr. Castanon’s team over the years has been recorded in Ron’s book, “Reason to Believe“ published in 2007. Two of the recorded investigations in the book pertain to work done concerning a bleeding statue in Bolivia and a Eucharistic Miracle in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Cardinal responsible for the diocese in Buenos Aires, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio commissioned the team, headed up by of Dr. Castanon, to investigate this Eucharistic Miracle and the investigation produced astounding results. This Cardinal is now known to the world as Pope Francis.

Results done by this team over the years have produced five DVD’s and one book to share with the world. The DVD’s are: A Plea to Humanity, The Eucharist, The Blood of Christ – Part 1, The Blood of Christ – Part 2 and the Code of Christ – Part 3. The book written by Ron is “Reason to Believe“. These are great treasurers for us that have sprouted from the “Fruits of Conyers”.

Finally, Ron has finished two new books. The first book is called, “UNSEEN – New Evidence” and the second book is, “My HUMAN HEART – Where Science and Faith Collide”. See our website: www.loveandmercy.org. In Ron’s new books, what was discovered will have an enormous impact on our understanding of the origin and nature of life itself. From a scientific point of view it is well documented that life cannot come from non-living matter. The events presented, each an instance of non-living matter transformed into living matter, are significant standing alone but even stronger when considered together. Fortunately they have been well documented, photographed and subjected to testing by reputable experts. As a consequence denial of the events as facts would be difficult. The implications for all of humanity, and indeed for science, religion and philosophy will be immense. Darwin’s Theory of the Evolution of Man will be overturned. And that is just for starters…

These books and DVD’s are available from our web site at: www.loveandmercy.org

Under the direction of the Directors and Officers of Our Loving Mother’s Children, Inc., a non-profit organization, it was decided to begin a strong Evangelization effort in our Churches, prayer groups and home groups. At that time, Our Loving Mother’s Children, Inc. (OLMC) made application and registered to conduct business under a trade name of You Shall Believe (YSB) on September 10, 2010.

OLMC wanted to share all the scientific evidence supporting the Eucharistic Miracle approved by Pope Francis at the time he was Cardinal in Buenos Aires, Argentina in South America. Plus OLMC wanted to share the messages from Jesus and Mary in a program that brings our attention to the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. In one of His messages, Jesus has asked us to “Help Me get My children back.” This evangelization effort is unlike any other evangelization effort witnessed to date! With the help of Tim Francis who joined our organization, we began this New Evangelization effort. Tim’s powerful witness touches and transforms lives, setting souls on fire worldwide.

Tim grew up in New Carlisle, Ohio. He resides now in Justin, Texas, with his wife, PK, and their three children. In his youth, Tim was a “cultural Christian.” His parents were devout Catholics, and Tim was an altar boy, but he was “just going through the motions.” Then came college and it was party time. Marriage and a family brought some spiritual growth into his life. He questioned why he believed what he believed. His mother gave him a tape, “Signs from God – Science Tests Faith”, that was broadcasted by FOX-TV worldwide in 1999. Tim was deeply moved by it, but set it aside, caught up in his busy life. Upon finding it again later, he read Ron’s book, “Reason to Believe”. Tim testifies that this book, rooted in unassailable science, shook his world. Filled with a conviction to increase devotion to the Eucharist, he became co-founder of You Shall Believe. He is now rousing the faithful to unite in the fight to turn our vice-driven culture back to a virtue-driven culture.

The New Evangelization Plan

It is often said that the problem with Catholics is that they have been poorly catechized. We believe people must first be evangelized, before they want to be catechized. Everyone knows you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink. Our job is to get people to want to drink.

Auxiliary Bishop Christopher J. Coyne of Indianapolis, IN, emphasized that the New Evangelization must target those former Catholics and Catholics who are not practicing their faith.

Our plan is a bold one! It targets not only those who claim, or once claimed, to be Catholic. It includes all the following categories:

I. Practicing Catholics

Their Needs: They need tools to reach their fallen-away family members. They also need a way to bring Catholicism to others without having to be an expert. They would love to evangelize. They just don’t know how to do it.

Solution: Our Parish Presentation, Science Tests Faith and our in-home DVD Presentation, Signs from God – Miracles and their Meaning, will attract and inspire them. It will equip them with vital tools for evangelization and catechesis. It will strengthen your own Faith. For a preview, see the www.sciencetestsfaith.com website and click on any listed church event to watch the short film clip.

II. Non-Practicing Catholics

Their Needs: They need a reason to practice their faith, and they need to be invited back. 80% miss weekend Mass and Holy Days, and do not go to confession, but receive Holy Communion when they go to Mass. Perhaps they believe it is only a symbol.

Solution: We offer an innovative, attention-grabbing invitation to an extraordinary event. After attending the Parish Presentation, Science Tests Faith, results like the following are indicative of the fruits of our event:

“Attendance at daily Mass more than doubled and continues to thrive.Those coming to Adoration tripled in number…”
– Fr. Jim Gigliotti, TOR, Pastor St. Maria Goretti, Arlington, TX

“I wanted to thank you for changing my life. My mom went to day 1 of the 3-day mission… she got me to attend the second day… I was an occasional Mass attendee, mostly holidays. After your talk I made a good confession and now attend Mass DAILY….”
– Kenny Wharton Phoenix, AZ

“I thank you from my heart for the 3 days of ‘Science Tests Faith’… Because of ignorance, I was bringing pain to Jesus just as those who beat and crucified Him. No more!! After over 40 years I received the Sacrament of Confession again, and will continue from now on…I am so fired up to do as much as I can for Jesus and to spread what I’ve experienced.”
– Tom Cremona Lewiston, ME

III. Former Catholics

Their Needs: They need a reason to come back to the Catholic Church.

Solution: As with non-practicing Catholics, we invite them to our stunning presentation. Below is another beautiful testimonial demonstrating the impact of our event. It is a story of a faithful Catholic- turned-Protestant-minister who found his way back to the Catholic Church.

“Without hesitation, nor exaggeration, I can say it was this presentation that was the pinnacle of my return to the Catholic Church… Two days after the event, my 10 year old daughter asked if we were going to start going to the Catholic Church. I told her, I think so, but did she understand that… they taught that the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Without hesitation she stated, ‘Well they do, remember, we saw the video.’..In that moment, through the eyes of a child, I was given clarity of purpose and my family and I returned to the Catholic Church.”
– Brett Petillo Phoenix, AZ

IV. Youth

Their Needs: The needs of young people are twofold:

1. The example of their parents and the parish community. How can we expect the youth to be excited and engaged without these examples to inspire them? They need to see adults who don’t skip Mass, adults who take advantage of the Sacrament of Penance. When their role models are on fire for the Faith, that fire will kindle the same fire in the youth.
2. Young people need a reason to believe that something is true, when the world tells them otherwise.

Solution: Just as the needs of our youth are twofold, likewise, the solution has two aspects:

1. We engage the parents in the presentation of the event and in the follow-up actions.
2. There are three factors in the Signs from God program which are effective catalysts in lighting the fire in our youth:
   1. Young people are captivated by the supernatural, the paranormal. We get their attention by attracting their natural curiosity.
   2. One of today’s often repeated sayings is, “I’ll believe it when I see it” The Signs from God program uses videos and pictures of scientifically investigated supernatural occurrences. They will see and hear!
   3. “Facts Tell and Stories Sell” is a popular slogan. We present amazing and unforgettable life-changing facts and stories as the truth of the Eucharist is revealed by science.

V. Never-Catholic Individuals: Jewish, Muslim, Protestant, agnostic, atheist & all God’s Children

Their Needs: The three factors listed above attract individuals who have never been Catholic. People are inquisitive about the paranormal; they want to check out hear-say for themselves; they are captivated by a riveting story. We know them in our circle of friends, neighbors, and business associates. By lighting the fire of practicing Catholics, and turning the lukewarm into active Catholics, we give them the tools to reach non-Catholics and bring them to Christ.

Our Goals

1. Increase belief that the Consecrated Bread and Wine are truly the Body and Blood of Christ, and thereby bring dignity back to the altar.
2. Increase participation at Mass and devotion to the Eucharist during and outside of the Mass.
3. Increase Eucharistic Adoration; strive for Perpetual Adoration.
4. Increase Confession lines.
5. Increase Consecration of Families to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
6. Organize, train, and equip a New Evangelization army, in response to the call of Pope John Paul ll. This army will be committed to turning our culture from a vice-driven culture back to a virtue-driven culture.

Available Evangelization Resources

To help you carry out the above Plan and Goals, the You Shall Believe ministry can provide:

The Live Parish Presentation

The event draws crowds of lukewarm Catholics and Mass attendees, as well as the fallen-away Catholics, non-Catholic Christians, agnostics, atheists, and others from nearly every religious background. In fact, up to 70% of the audience at a live Parish Presentation event may be made up of people who are not currently or seriously practicing the Catholic faith.

The history of the Mother of God Catholic Church, which is within walking distance of the apparition site, begins back in 1993 when the Conyers visionary met Sister Matilda and several Carmelite Nuns from a religious order headquartered in Rome, Italy. This group of nuns that came to visit the apparition site for a monthly apparition on the 13th were from their convent in Washington, DC. The nuns talked about expanding their order by adding a formation house of prayer for novice nuns. However they would have to get permission from Mother Superior at their Mother House in Rome, Italy. In addition, they would need to seek the approval of the Archbishop in Atlanta, Georgia. Our Loving Mother’s Children, Inc. (OLMC) became involved because there was a house on one of the properties adjacent to the apparition site that could be used for that purpose with enough room for the addition of a small chapel. After several meetings with the nuns while they were at Conyers, the visionary along with Bob and Bernie Hughes planned to meet with Sister Matilda at their convent in Washington, DC.

Sometime later, the meeting took place with Sister Matilda in Washington DC. They had a beautiful older residence near the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. During the visit the nuns gave the visionary a tour of their Convent and Chapel. It was decided after the tour that the property in Conyers would work perfectly. The nuns also operated a little daycare center for small children to help with their income needs. There were several novice nuns that were in formation at that convent and the visionary and OLMC were able to meet them during the visit.

The meeting went well and it became known that Sister Matilda knew Archbishop Donahue when he was the Bishop in the Washington DC area. Later in the week she contacted him and he gave his permission for the new convent and chapel in Conyers. From there, the visionary and OLMC planned a trip to Rome, Italy to meet the Mother Superior seeking to convince her to open a formation house of prayer for novice nuns and to receive her permission.

The trip to Rome went very well and all the nuns were very gracious and welcomed everyone. The group was invited to stay at the their convent, eat with them and attend Mass with them in their Chapel. They cooked very delicious, simple Italian meals for everyone. Before the group departed, the Mother Superior gave her permission to Sister Matilda to open the formation house in Conyers.

After returning, plans were made to convert the attached garage into the Sacristy and build an addition to the garage of about 30′ x 60′ for the chapel. OLMC proceeded to begin the building process with the help of several volunteers and contractors. Sister Matilda was able to get pews and kneelers that would be needed and a large stained glass window of Our Lady of Mount Carmel for free from a chapel being renovated in Washington DC.

OLMC picked up the pews, kneelers and windows and delivered them to Conyers where volunteers refinished them. Everything was going according to plan until the October 13, 1994 anniversary apparition. It had been raining for the past three days and the grounds were very wet and muddy. It did not rain the morning of the 13th but there was a heavy mist in the air. In spite of the weather, the County Sheriff’s office indicated that this was the second largest crowd of pilgrims that they had witnessed coming to pray the 15 decades of the Rosary with Our Loving Mother.

On that morning of October 13, 1994, the local newspaper had as their front page headlines “Nunnery at Farm”. This was a headline that would surely sell papers to the visiting pilgrims but killed the convent and chapel when the Archbishop heard about it that morning. It was hardly four hours later before Sister Matilda received a phone call in Washington, DC from Archbishop Donahue cancelling his permission for the nuns to come to Conyers. He said she and the nuns would be welcome to have a place on the other side of Atlanta but not in Conyers.

Since work had already begun on the facility, OLMC could not immediately stop work but had to expend additional funds to enclose the structure to protect it from the weather. Also OLMC and the visionary held some hope that the Archbishop would change his decision. The visionary remained hopeful that the convent would be established.

In November 1995, Jesus told the visionary to communicate with her spiritual director and to let him know that He was calling His daughters, the nuns, to come to the apparition site. The visionary understood that Jesus was specifically calling the Carmelite nuns. The Spiritual Director also knew the Archbishop and it was hoped he would communicate this message to the him.

In April 1996, the visionary and some friends tried to communicate with the Archbishop of Atlanta hoping he may have a change of heart. They stated that Sister Matilda and her Carmelite nuns still wished to minister to the pilgrims at Conyers. However, she was reminded of the Archbishops current policy regarding the nuns had not changed.

In February 1997, Bob Hughes visited the Archbishop of Atlanta and asked him to reconsider approving the convent and finish the building and plans that were started. The Archbishop said he would pray about it.

On October 13, 1997, the Blessed Mother repeated her request for a church at the apparition site in her honor. Acting upon this request, in November 1997, the visionary wrote the Archbishop of Atlanta to inform him of the many Divine messages that she had received from the Blessed Mother for a Catholic Church at the apparition site. The Archbishop politely replied to the visionary’s letter by stating that he would take the matter under “prayerful consideration” but he made no commitment as to any future plans to build a Roman (i.e., a Latin, a Western) Rite Catholic Church at the site.

Since the Western Rite Catholic Archbishop of Atlanta was not responsive to her requests for a church at the site, early 1998, the visionary asked Monsignor John Stevensky, an Eastern Rite Catholic priest, who was visiting during the 13th, to appeal to his Bishop in Parma, Ohio to establish a Catholic Church next to the apparition site. The visionary was familiar with both Rites as one of her parents was an Eastern Rite Catholic and the other parent was a Western Rite Catholic. Both the Eastern and Western Rites are under authority of and in communion with the Pope.

Bob and Bernie Hughes met with the visionary and Monsignor John Stevensky to review what needed to be done to complete the building to make it suitable for a church in the Eastern Catholic Byzantine-Ukrainian Diocese. During the meeting, many signs were given to the visionary including a number of times that Jesus would be standing behind Monsignor John in light and merging with him.

The visionary asked Bob Hughes and the Board of Directors of OLMC to complete the renovations to 2850 Hwy. 138 for an Eastern Rite Catholic Church. Since having a Catholic Church at the apparition site was a long time goal of OLMC, Msgr. Stevensky was advised that the chapel in 2850 Hwy 138 would be finished for his new parish at OLMC expense. This was a highly desirable way for OLMC to provide for the support of the pilgrims, particularly for their spiritual needs during their pilgrimage to Conyers by making available the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist while at the same time fulfilling the Will of God to help establish a Catholic Church so Masses could begin.

In April 1998, Bishop Robert Moskal, of the Catholic Byzantine-Ukrainian Diocese of Parma gave his permission and announced the establishment of a new parish at 2850 Hwy 138. The name of the church was to be “The Mother of God” since this was not to be the main church that would be built later and named “Our Loving Mother”. This Diocese encompasses most of the Southeastern United States and is equal (within the hierarchy of the Catholic Church) with the Western Rite Archdiocese of Atlanta, which encompasses North Georgia.

The visionary said that Jesus confirmed to her that having the new Eastern Rite Catholic Church at the site was the Will of God. The Church was dedicated by Bishop Moskal on October 11, 1998 and the daily celebration of the Holy Mass was finally able to take place near the apparition site, just as Jesus had been requesting in His messages to the visionary since 1991. In fact a more recent message at that time said that when the apparitions ended, it was time for the Masses to begin. On October 13, 1998, the final apparition of Our Loving Mother took place and the Divine Liturgy, the Holy Mass, has been going on since that time at the Mother of God Catholic Church.

Many improvements have been made to the Church and grounds as the parish continues to grow. On October 12, 2008, the Mother of God Church celebrated their 10-year anniversary with Bishop Robert Moskal’s representative present to celebrate the Holy Mass. The following day on October 13, 2008, Bishop Robert Moskal, through his representative, dedicated the land for the future site of Our Loving Mother Catholic Church and celebrated the first Holy Mass on the newly dedicated site under a very large tent outdoors.

The building of the “Main Church” has been in the planning state for many years. As early as September 1991, the visionary reviewed plans for a Catholic Church at the apparition site. The plans had been prepared by a pilgrim architect. In recent years, new plans were drawn and reviewed by Bishop Moskal for a beautifully designed church in honor of Our Loving Mother. The design and plans were approved and a building permit was issued by the County. After the dedication of the land, a contract was signed on April 19, 2010 to begin clearing the site, blasting out the rock, leveling the grounds and roughing in the roads for the general layout of the church. This has since been completed and OLMC now awaits for the hand of the Lord to move… in His time.